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Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

Best Travel Crib for Twins? Hands Down It’s The Joovy Room²

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Best Travel Crib for Twins

Traveling with babies and toddlers is always interesting.  First, you have to plan the actual trip.  How will the baby do?  What can you do as a parent to make your baby more comfortable and able to pass the time while you’re traveling?  But then there are other considerations, namely, all the gear that you have to pack so you can travel with the baby.  Think playpens, strollers, portable changing tables, etc.  If you have twins, the planning is likely to double.  However, if you choose the best travel crib for twins, you get a lot of your travel gear in one purchase.

Best Travel Crib for Twins

Now that more people are having twins, the market has exploded.  Lucky for us as buyers, that means there are many choices available, but you really only need one that is superior to the rest.

Joovy Room²

Hands down, the best travel crib for twins is the Joovy Room².

This product comes with a thick pad for the bottom as well as a soft, fitted, waterproof sheet.  This playpen can accommodate children from newborns to those 35 inches tall, which means you’ll be able to use it for several years.  (The manufacturer asks that you discontinue use when the child can climb out.)

Pros

There are many pros with the Joovy Room².

Spacious

This portable playpen is bigger than standard pack n plays, which makes it ideal for twins.  In fact, it’s nearly 10 square feet in size and can easily accommodate two children.

Additional Features

The Joovy Room² has wide mesh on all sides, so you can more easily see your children.

It also comes with a storage bag that you can use when traveling with the Joovy.

Finally, it has two wheels on the bottom to allow you to easily move the Joovy Room².

Twin Nursery Center Bassinet Playpen Accessory

For newborns and infants, you can purchase the Joovy Twin Nursery Center Bassinet Playpen Accessory.

Best Travel Crib for Twins

This handy accessory turns your playpen into the perfect portable crib for twin babies.  It includes:

  • Bassinet,
  • Bassinet divider (so each baby has their own separate space to sleep in), and
  • Changing table (which sits on top of the bassinet area)

For convenience, the changing table flips to the side when not in use.

The bassinet holds up to 30 pounds, which means the twins can use it until they weigh 15 pounds each.

Cons

Although twin parents love the Joovy Room², it does have some drawbacks.

Heavy

Because it is large and comes with a high-quality, thick mattress, some parents say that it’s heavy.  A few even say it’s too heavy to travel with.  However, that is a minority of parents.

Bunching Sheet

Other parents complain that after the sheet has been washed a few times, it has the tendency to bunch and not fit as snugly as when it was new.

Why the Joovy Room² Is the Only Twin Travel Crib To Consider

There are many twin travel cribs on the market, but since the Joovy Room² is superior to the rest, it’s the only one you need to consider. It beats the competitors in several aspects:

Affordable

The Joovy Room² is $179.99 no matter which retailer you buy from. The Joovy twin nursery center bassinet playpen insert is an additional $99.99. For the price, you get a twin travel crib that is approximately 50 percent bigger than others on the market. In addition, the shape is square rather than the typical rectangular shape, giving your children more room.

Flexible Buying Options

Some other twin travel cribs on the market include the twin bassinet as part of your purchase. You can save money if you need the bassinets because the set is about $50 cheaper than buying the Joovy Room² playpen and bassinet accessory. But not everyone needs the bassinet accessory. If you simply need a travel playpen, the Joovy Room² is cheaper and bigger than the competitors.

Excellent Reviews

Read reviews on Amazon, and you’ll see that customers give the Joovy Room² 4.7 out of 5 stars. Specifically, 85 percent of customers give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Where To Buy The Joovy Room²?

The Joovy Room² is available on Joovy’s website, Amazon.com, and Walmart.  As of the writing of this posting, all three are selling the Joovy² for the same price: $179.99.  Also, shipping times are comparable between the three retailers.   Joovy’s website says they ship in 2 to 5 business days.  Amazon also ships in 2 to 5 days and Walmart offers a similar shipping time.

So, where to get it is up to you.  Here are three main options, click on the price in each table cell to buy the crib.

JoovyAmazonWalmart
Price: $179.99Price: $179.99Price: $179.99

Joovy is not available on costco.com.

Don’t forget to use a cash-back credit card – but keep the balance paid off.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for the best travel crib for twins, consider adding the Joovy Room² to your baby registry or buying it.  This product will continue to serve your family for several years.

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How to Get Teens Excited About an International Trip

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Picture of a shoreline with rocky beaches

My husband and I have traveled internationally, but never with our kids. Now, our children are 19, 14, and 13, and the time has come to take a trip to Asia to visit my husband’s family. Our kids are a bit nervous and reticent, so here’s how we’re trying to get teens excited about an international trip. After all, this is an expensive visit for our family, so we want to make it as enjoyable as possible for the kids.

A Little Background

Admittedly, this trip would have been easier to take when our kids were younger. Now that they’re teens, several factors are leading to their worry and discomfort:

They’re Leaving Behind Friends

For teenagers, their friends are their most important priority, and leaving them, even for two weeks, is difficult. Our kids worry that they’ll miss something fun with friends when they’re gone and that they’ll miss their friends.

They Don’t Know the Language

Knowing that they’ll be immersed in a culture where they don’t know how to communicate is difficult. Their grandparents don’t speak English, so my husband must serve as a translator, which is challenging for him.

They’re Worried About Being Immersed in a Complete Foreign Environment

Along with the language barrier, they’re also worried about not understanding the new environment and being overwhelmed because it’s so different from the United States.

How to Get Teens Excited about an International Trip

We recognize why they’re nervous, so we’re trying our best to help ease their discomfort before we go. Here are the strategies we’re trying.

Find Activities They Want to Do

We combed through activities to do and made a list of the ones we thought most people would enjoy and fit our schedule and budget. Then, we sent the list to the kids so they could look through it.

Get Their Opinion

We had a family meeting, and every child got to pick one activity they wanted to do. Then, as a family, we chose the rest of the activities. This required some negotiation, but ultimately, we agreed on the sites we planned to visit. Getting the kids’ input helped them feel more excited and invested in the trip.

Practice the Language

We also have been practicing the language. My husband has been talking to us in Japanese, and we’re working on learning the 300 most commonly used words so we can communicate at an elementary level.

Try the Food

We’ve always eaten some Japanese food, but now we’re eating more types of Japanese food, so we’re familiar with them before we get there.

Final Thoughts

Taking an international vacation is expensive, but it can also be a great way to build memories as a family. We’re doing all we can to help get our teens excited about the trip. Otherwise, if they’re grumpy and miserable, we’ve wasted a lot of money rather than spent an enjoyable two weeks abroad.

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RV Living with Kids

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RV Living Full-Time

When my grandparents retired, they sold their house and began RV living full-time. They would travel year-round, but for about six weeks every summer, they would park their RV in our yard, which I loved. They loved the low cost and the freedom to go anywhere. However, though my grandma never complained, I know that she was sometimes frustrated by the lack of space. I think of the two of them whenever I read about the recent trend of RV living. Of course, this trend is not for everyone, but for certain families, RV living full-time with kids can offer incredible freedom.

How to Make RV Living Full-Time with Kids Successful

If you’re thinking of making the leap to RV living, you need to first lay the groundwork.

What to Do Before You Begin RV Living Full-Time

Before selling your house and buying an RV, ensure you’ll enjoy the lifestyle.

Rent or Borrow an RV

First, rent or borrow an RV and take the kids on an extended trip. You’ll see what it’s like to live in tight quarters as a family. The average American house is 2,200 square feet, but a 26-foot RV has only 230 square feet. So, you and your family need to get used to living in only 10 percent of the space you’re accustomed to. That can be a hard adjustment for many.

Don’t Sell Your House for the First Year

You may be tempted to sell your house to make money to buy the RV and travel, but if possible, try to hold onto your home for the first year you’re living in the RV. Even if you try out RV living for a few weeks, that’s not the same as living in an RV full-time. You may get a few months into RV living and decide it’s not for you. If that’s the case, you can always move back into your home with few repercussions. If you sell your home before moving to RV living full-time, you’ll have to start over if that lifestyle isn’t for you.

Suggestions for Smooth RV Living with Kids

If you try out RV living and decide you like it, there are steps you can take to adjust more quickly to the lifestyle.

Downsize

If you’re going to leave a 2,200 square foot house to move to a 230 square foot RV, you’ll need to downsize. . .a lot! Plan to get rid of 80 to 90 percent of your stuff.

Watch videos on minimalism and capsule wardrobes because that’s what you and the kids will need. If you don’t think you’ll live the RV lifestyle forever, put your things in storage. Otherwise, sell what you can and give the rest away.

Agree on Privacy Rules

There isn’t much room for privacy in an RV, so for your sake and the kids’, agree on rules from the beginning. For instance, if the bathroom door is closed, someone is in there, so don’t go in. (Leave it open the rest of the time.) Consider putting curtains around beds that aren’t in their own rooms. When someone is on their bed with the curtain closed, respect their privacy and leave them alone. This will be more important as your kids head into the tween and teen years.

Choose Child-Friendly Camping Sites

RV Living Full Time

Some campgrounds aren’t child friendly. When choosing campsites, find ones with playgrounds so the kids can play. It would be even better to find campsites near lakes and hiking trails so you can take the kids for a swim or a hike. Kids need time to get out their energy, especially if most of their time is spent in the RV.

Consider Homeschooling

When you begin your new lifestyle, you will need to look at school choices for kids. If your kids are in traditional brick-and-mortar school, you’ll need to make new arrangements. You have two options.

Homeschool

You could homeschool, which offers maximum convenience because you can homeschool while traveling. Even better, you can make your travels part of your homeschool by visiting historic attractions and studying the geography of the areas you travel to.

Online School

Another option is to have your children enroll in an online school. This is an excellent option if you plan to put your children back in traditional school eventually. (If you homeschool your kids and try to put them in conventional school later, you may run into resistance from the school district.)

The only drawback to online schooling while traveling is that you may struggle to get a reliable internet connection.

Have Regular Times to Come Back Home

When you hit the road to begin your new lifestyle, you will likely leave behind extended family and friends. To help your children handle possible homesickness, schedule time to return home regularly so your children can see their friends and maintain friendships.

In between regular visits, utilize Zoom to connect with hometown friends and family when you’re on the road.

Remember the Lessons You’re Teaching Your Kids

RV Travel Full-Time

RV living full-time can be stressful. However, remember that you’re teaching your kids amazing lessons by living this lifestyle. Because you have to downsize to live in an RV, your kids learn to become minimalists. Furthermore, you fill their lives with experiences, not stuff. How many kids can travel around the country as your kids do?

Your kids will see and do things that most Americans don’t get to. You can be in Florida one week and in Missouri the next. The choice is yours. In addition, between all the travel, you teach your children to be flexible and go with the flow.

Final Thoughts

RV living full-time with kids isn’t for the faint of heart. However, the rewards are rich. You give your children a chance to see the United States in ways few others get to. You are also more likely to grow closer as a family.

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How to Travel with a Kid Who Isn’t a Great Traveler

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How to Travel with a Kid Who Isn't a Great Traveler

My husband and I love to travel. Neither of us traveled much during childhood, so we want to share the world with our kids. However, we’ve had to figure out how to travel with a kid who isn’t a great traveler because one of our children dislikes traveling. This child has always struggled with travel, and while we respect that, we don’t want to stop traveling because we feel it’s an integral part of the life experience we want to cultivate for our kids.

How to Travel with a Kid Who Isn’t a Great Traveler

Our child, who I will identify in this post as “Blair,” has struggled with traveling since the toddler years, so this isn’t a new phenomenon. However, we’ve learned these tricks to make travel better.

For Younger Kids

Take Breaks

When we traveled when Blair was younger, we scheduled plenty of breaks. While driving, we’d stop every hour or two, ideally at a rest area or restaurant with a playground.

When we were at our destination, we planned one event per day. The rest of the day was downtime. For instance, we went to Boston when Blair was a preschooler. There was so much I wanted to see and do, but we just did one activity per day. We went to the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum and then returned to the hotel so Blair could watch some favorite kids’ shows and relax. Even though we didn’t get to go to as many destinations as I would have liked, Blair still remembers throwing the crates of tea off the ship.

Bring Travel Diversions

We usually travel by car, so I started packing travel diversions when the kids were little. Before the trip, I would buy small activities and trinkets like a water coloring book or a fidget spinner. Then, I would wrap the item, and the kids could open it once we reached a predetermined destination. So, the package would have a label, “Effingham, Illinois,” and the kids could open the package when we drove through Effingham. This gave them something to look forward to, and then the activity occupied them for some of the ride.

See Child-Friendly Sites

When you’re traveling with the preschool set, you won’t be able to see all of the destinations you’d prefer as an adult. Instead, know that you’ll have to include many child-friendly sites and activities. For our Boston trip, Blair remembers throwing the boxes of tea off the ship and the costumed interpreters throughout the city.

Remember, your kids are only little once. As they get older, you can visit attractions designed for tweens, teens, and adults.

Bring Lots of Snacks

Two things make kids this age cranky—lack of sleep and lack of food. We always bring abundant snacks to combat the latter. We have car snacks, which is especially important if you’re traveling in a deserted area without many food options. When we’re at our destinations and seeing sites, I always put snacks and bottled water in my backpack because a child will get hungry, even if we’re only out for two or three hours. My kids are all teens now, and we still carry ample snacks when traveling

For Older Kids

Once our kids got older, they needed fewer breaks on the road trip, so we were able to travel faster. However, I continued to bring travel diversions for them. We also used these techniques.

Create a Travel Map

Using Google Maps, I printed out our entire route for each trip. I put the maps in a transparent cover and give the kids dry-erase markers. They can mark our route as we go and see exactly where we are and when they get to open their road trip surprise (yes, I pack surprises for the kids to open at specific destinations even into their teens!).

Give Them a Say in the Trip

I would be happy visiting museums, historic houses, and living history museums everywhere we go. Some of my kids, not so much. Instead, now that they’re older, we let them each determine at least one activity we’ll do during the trip.

For instance, we recently went to Philadelphia, and one of our kids wanted to go mini-golfing. Since we could have gone mini-golfing anywhere, that wouldn’t have been my choice in a vacation destination. But we did it, and this child had a great time. Mini-golfing was one of the highlights of the trip for her. My other daughter picked visiting The Franklin Institute, which, again, I would not have chosen, but we had a good time, and that destination was another highlight of our trip.

Give Them a Digital Camera

Travel with a Kid Who Isn't a Good Traveler

If you have the means, give each child a digital camera. They can take pictures of the sites you’re seeing and make albums of the trip. They can also have fun taking silly pictures of themselves or one another.

Spring for Extra Space

If you travel with a kid who isn’t a good traveler, is that child an introvert? My guess is yes. Blair is an introvert and, like most introverts, needs time to unwind and recharge alone. Unfortunately, that can be tough to do when sharing a hotel room.

If you can, consider paying for extra space. For instance, instead of booking a hotel room, book a vacation rental by owner. If each child can get their own room, the reluctant traveler can have time to recharge and unwind alone. For Blair, part of the travel struggle is spending all day, every day of the vacation with family with no personal space. Larger accommodations can solve this problem.

Final Thoughts

You may consider abandoning travel with a kid who isn’t a great traveler, but remember all of the benefits that come from traveling—seeing new locations, how other people live, and learning living history. Rather than abandon traveling until your child grows up, try some of these techniques to make your next trip smoother.

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4 Road Trip Tips When Traveling with Tweens

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Road Trip Tips When Traveling with Tweens

Eight years ago, we moved from Chicago, Illinois to Tucson, Arizona. We still had family in Michigan, so we have made the road trip across 1,900 miles one way to visit family six times now. When we made the first trip, our kids were 10, 5, and 4. Our most recent trip was just a few weeks ago, and the kids are 18, 13, and 12. Traveling with them now is much easier, but regardless, the trip is a long one. We’ve learned many road trip tips when traveling with tweens. If you’re traveling with kids in the eight to 12-year-old age range, these tips may help your family survive a long road trip.

Road Trip Tips When Traveling with Tweens

Tweens are easier to travel with than younger kids, but they still can get bored quickly. Try these tips to make the trip go faster.

Make Maps for Them

I mapped out our route on Google Maps, magnified it, and printed it out. Then, I made binders for each kid with the seven pages showing the route. I put the pages in plastic page protectors and gave the kids dry erase markers. They marked on the pages as we passed areas, so they could see how much progress we had made and how much more we had to go. I also marked where we were stopping each night to make the three-day trip seem less daunting.

Have Them Pick a Fun Activity

Road Trip Tips When Traveling with Tweens

Before we left, each child researched the route and found one fun thing they wanted to do. Our favorite activity that a child picked was Cadillac Ranch in Texas. We brought along some spray paint and joined others in spray painting the upside-down cars planted in the ground. When we have driven by later, other times we are making the trip, the kids still talk about the fun they had and how weird the attraction is.

Pack Food. . .and More Food

Tweens are hungry most of the time, especially on a road trip. We pack sandwiches and chips for lunch, but we also pack A LOT of snacks. Popular snacks include beef jerky, pretzels, granola bars, squeezable apple sauce, squeezable pudding, and fruit. Make sure the kids can easily access the snacks.

Limit Stops

Our drive is so long that it takes us 10 to 12 hours of driving each day to get to Michigan in three days. Add in a fun stop, and there’s not much time for anything else.

When we stop for gas, we also use the restrooms and get out our sandwiches, if it’s lunchtime. When we combine all of our stops in one, we only stop for 10 or 15 minutes before we’re on the road again for another three to four hours. We have found Love’s Travel Centers have the cleanest restrooms.

Final Thoughts

Traveling with tweens is less stressful than traveling with younger kids, but they can still get bored and antsy on long road trips. Use these road trip tips when traveling with tweens for a smoother, more entertaining drive.

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Saving Money While Traveling With Children

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Family VacationI previously wrote about how my family was getting ready to partake in a family vacation together. The event was a family reunion and our first vacation with our daughter. Even though she’s still quite young, I can already see how  the expenses are adding up with factoring more that just a plus one in your travel plans. Kids eat, sleep and partake in events just as adults do and costs add up!

 

Getting Ready to Travel

A key to saving with traveling is to prepare appropriately.  I like to prep for travel by trying to earn as many points as possible for my travels.  For example, with the TD Aeroplan Card, I can earn points faster, and they also have a 2-for-1 travel special.  Since my daughter is still young, she can fly on my lap.  And with this card, my husband and I can travel for the price of one ticket.  Then, you add in points, and we’re well ahead on our path to save money traveling.

 

Saving Money on Travel with Children

I don’t need to tell anyone that airfare is expensive. While bartering or negotiating posted airfare prices isn’t an option there are other ways to save on travel costs.

Most airlines don’t charge for children under two years of age so travel away with your babies! Younger children will often get discounted tickets as well. Another option for saving on additional ticket costs is to look into any rewards you may have through credit cards or point redemption programs. Even if you don’t have enough rewards for your whole family, having enough to help offset some travel costs will be beneficial on your travel budget.

While flying would have been a fast and convenient option for our family, we chose to drive. The cost of driving the 2800 km (1750 mi) round trip was significantly cheaper than paying for the airfare for our family and, in my opinion, much more fun. We made the road trip fun and apart of the vacation fun.

 

Saving Money on Events

The easiest way to save money on events is to attend events where kids are free or discounted. We didn’t attend a single event that we had to pay for our child. Even though she’s young (14 months), most places were free under six anyway. Only the professional sporting event would we of had to pay if she didn’t sit on our lap, an event well worth the money should we needed to pay.

Prioritize the events the family wants to do and come up with a budget that suites everyone’s wants.

 

Saving Money on Food

We saved money on food a few ways. One, we stayed in a hotel that had breakfast included. The hotel had a hot breakfast selection every morning which was great because it kept us well satisfied until late in the day. We often skipped lunch, opting for a snack instead and having a normal dinner. We also had the option of requesting a mini fridge and/or microwave in our room which made things quite easy. We were able to buy some foods at the grocery store and store in our room for the week. This was especially good for having a little one with us and being able to keep her favorite snacks and fruits on hand.

Like the event option, choose restaurants where kids eat free, or cheap. We went to one restaurant where kids ate for $0.10 per pound of body weight. I don’t know if they actually enforced the weigh-in and fee or if they had a generic kids price, but there was a discount for kids.

Travelling with children will be more expensive but with a little more planning you should be able to make it work. Vacations should be about making memories not stressing about money!

How do you make your family vacations more family/budget friendly?